Super-size that

Your article "PAC-men pump coins into local races" [November 13, 2007] on campaign funding in the recent election contained a very large factual error with regard to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s race. Reporter Scott Weaver writes that "Camblos racked up a little over $26,400." In fact, he raised more than two times that amount—$58,940, as of October 24th. Denise Lunsford raised $49,250 as of the same date. This whopper of a reporting error is particularly disturbing because it undergirds the premise of your article: that "eye-popping donations" made a difference in this race, and that Denise Lunsford was the winner as a result. Even editor Cathy Harding uses this glaring error in her opening piece, "Read This First") to claim that in the November 6th election, "…he who had the biggest pot of gold walked away the victor. This was true in the upset that was the county Commonwealth’s Attorney race." Wrong again.

Denise Lunsford won this race with the support of 261 contributors, most of whom gave less than $100 each. Her victory is the result of hard work, a strong campaign, and most of all, the very clear message from voters that they prefer her leadership in this office to that of the incumbent.

Major plug

Thanks for the article on Minor’s! ["Kitchen comebacks," Restaurantarama, November 13, 2007] They have the best burgers on the planet! Their primavera (when he has it as a special) is not to be missed. More people need to go there to keep Clinton in business! It’s worth the trip to Scottsville.

Pam KellyKeene

Go nuclear

In response to "North Anna gets early permit" [Government News, November 27, 2007]: There’s just no pleasing some environmentalists. You’d think that after Dominion’s proven safety and performance record with the existing four reactors in Virginia, environmentalists would rejoice that a significant source of clean energy is under consideration.

I praise Mr. Cruickshank for his sound judgement by saying, "We think that nuclear power may be necessary in the short run…" but in the same sentence he voices his opposition to a new nuclear unit at North Anna. Perhaps the Sierra Club would prefer that Dominion scrap plans for a new reactor and go with the only other viable alternative for baseload electricity—coal?

The Department of Energy predicts that electricity demand in Virginia will climb by at least 50 percent in the next 20 years. This means that even if Dominion built a new, state-of-the-art nuclear facility AND miraculously implemented a 20 percent renewable portfolio standard (not to mention the fact that some units will be decommissioned over the next 20 years), Virginia would STILL fall far short of necessary capacity, requiring imports of electricity from companies like Appalachian Power, who derive their excess capacity from West Virginia’s rich coal reserves.

Please tell Mr. C to wake up and smell the sulphur dioxide. If we are to address climate change, we need to embrace conservation, but conserving today to meet tomorrow’s energy needs is like dieting to meet tomorrow’s food demands. To that end we need all of the wind, solar, and yes, nuclear power we can get.

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